The present invention relates to medical crutches for supporting a human user's body weight, and in particular, to a medical crutch with a framework which disperses contact forces to multiple regions of the body.
The physical rehabilitation industry is a large industry sector related to enhancing and restoring functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. One of the greatest hurdles for those working within the physical rehabilitation field is providing proper equipment to a patient and ensuring that the equipment is being used properly. One of the major reasons found for improper use of equipment by patients is discomfort when using the equipment. Improper use of equipment can cause exacerbation of pre-existing injuries or conditions, as well as effectuate new injuries to arise.
One of the most commonly used pieces of equipment used in the physical rehabilitation industry are medical crutches. Medical crutches are used to carry and shift all or part of a user's body weight from one part of the body to another. Namely, crutches transfer weight from a user's lower body to their upper body. Two of the most commonly used types of crutches are axillary crutches and Lofstrand crutches. The axillary (or underarm) crutch usually has an axillary pad which is placed against the ribcage beneath the armpit, and a hand grip that is situated below and parallel to the axillary pad. This type of crutch is typically used by temporary crutch users because of the high amount of force shifted to the hand, arm, and axilla. On the other hand, the Lofstrand (or forearm) crutch does not extend to under or near the axilla. Instead, the top portion of the crutch has a cuff that goes around the forearm, and a hand grip situated below and near the cuff. This type of crutch is typically used by long-term crutch users but provides less overall support than axillary crutches and requires the user to maintain better balance.
Traditional axillary crutches transmit forces to the patient's hand, arm, and axilla. Forces at the crutch tip are intended to be primarily transferred directly to the hands and wrist, and only secondarily supported by the axilla. Supporting significant body weight on the axilla area can cause compression of sensitive nerves running through it. For example, many crutch users suffer from crutch paralysis when either the radial nerve or part of the brachial plexus containing various nerves that innervate sense and motor function to the hand and arm is under constant pressure from use of the crutch. Other serious conditions can also arise from crutch use, such as aneurysm and axillary artery thrombosis, from pressure placed on the user's axilla.